Audiovisual

by ciriliarose on March 19, 2009

Inspired by the Knitting in Film and Television Awards hosted by I Knit, our office had a lengthy chat today about our favorite knitted moments in the media. We’re all mad for movies and television, mostly on DVD or Hulu…long marathons, the better to knit by, my dear!! We’ve also become fans of the blog Reel Knitting which is a perfect hybrid of our hobbies.

Most of us agree that mindless knits in yummy yarns are the best for knitting along in front of a flickering screen. A few of our free patterns come to mind: Rectangela knit in Peruvia (lots of stockinette and it eventually doubles as a lap blanket), Radius in sparkly Metallic Sox (knit in the round) and Alpine, knit in chunky Cuzco, which you could probably finish during a double feature!

I flipped the first time I saw this hilarious Yoplait ad with a wooly punchline. I also love that a knitter in the Humira ad is working with bamboo circulars. Points for realism! I absolutely adore Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep, in part for its’ homemade charm (no computer generated special effects here) and in part because of scenes like this that seem to glorify crafting:

Donna and I traded stories about excellent knitwear in children’s fantasy films. We love everything in the Harry Potter films, as well as the Bucket Family is working on or wearing in Tim Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Donna spotted lots of yarny goodness in City of Ember while I happen to love the sweaters in City of Lost Children.

This was a good distraction from the craziness of this week…we’re totally surrounded by yarn! We’re practically re-enacting a certain iconic scene…

“Lars and the Real Girl” made me cry like a baby. It’s a great movie, and the blanket Lars’ Mom made him is an important symbol. (It’s in the very first scene.) It’s a beautiful blanket. They never actually say it’s knit, but it’s obvious that it was.

‘The Jane Austin Book Club’ – I watched the movie last week and I loved it….It is a group of ladies and one man that plan a meeting every month to discuss about Jane Austin’s book and while they enjoy a drink and chat the lady with short blond hair (I do not remember the name) knits a violet scarf.

I noticed on “Bones” on Thursday night that Brennan was wearing a great knitted cap in the opening scenes. Since she seldom wears anything knitted, this was really unusual … And it looked like a great pattern!

My favorite TV to knit by is baseball. My husband is a fanatic, and it’s a way for me to keep him company while not being bored to tears by really having to watch it. I knit the Make It Mitered Afghan at a leisurely pace over two seasons. All that was required was that I look up occassionally and say things like “Do you think he’ll go for a sacrifice hit?” I have no idea what that means, but it makes it sound like I was actually listening when my husband explained the rules to me.

I love knits with a vintage look and particularly seek out films that I expect will have great vintage wardrobes. Some of my favorite shows to watch include BBC productions such as those in the Masterpiece Theater and Mystery! series. The Brits can usually be depended upon for good sweaters! Who can resist Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, even if you never get to see her FO’s?

I love knitting and watching TV, but I have to disagree that Alpine is good TV knitting. The back and sleeves are, yes, but the front has that fiddly pattern, and the decrease directions are so confusing that it can’t be done in front of the TV. I tried. I ripped, I ripped again.

great sweater in a movie: The Harper Lee character in Capote has amazing vintage sweaters. I wish I knew the story behind them. And of course Tess in the recent BBC Tess of the d’Ubervilles has some amazing shawls.

The recent Piecework magazine has an article and pattern for a shawl-type thingie called a Sontag. In the Pride and Prejudice film with Keira Knightly, Mrs. Bennet wears a similar knitted garment in many scenes.

There is a commercial about a lady who gives up her career job to take care of her aging mother; she wears a violet cardigan with rich and fascinating cables along the front edges. Every time I see the ad, I try to “look fast” so I can see more details.Has anyone noticed this sweater? I would love to hear what Norah has to say about it.
Knitswithrain

The opening scenes in the 2003 Universal Studios film “Hilary and Jackie” show the most incredible hats and sweaters on two young actresses. The film is about the tragic life of cello prodigy Jacqueline de Pre.

I just found this blog post and can’t help leaving a comment (even though I’m months late!) because I was just telling my daughter last night about my habit of watching a movie over & over just to see the clothes, interiors, landscapes, etc. — all the J. Austen movies being a few favorites for this of course. However, some of my favorites, particularly for the knitwear worn in them are “I Capture the Castle” (love Rose’s blue beret and cardi in the beach scene), “The Ballet Shoes” (all the Fossil girls’ have sweet little sweaters & hats), & “The Secret of Roan Inish” (especially Grandmother’s homey little cape & little girl’s cardis).
Happy movie watching & knitting!
Georganna

I know I’m ridiculously late with this comment, but I thought I’d chime in anyway. I’d recommend checking out the Japanese movie “Wool 100%”. It involves lots of knitting and some amazing visuals/sets.